TGS 09: Kojima on Natal - Like 2D to 3D Shift

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Major Japanese developers are enamored with Natal.

By Erik Brudvig

Microsoft held a special Creator Panel at the Tokyo Game Show where it invited three of Japan's most recognizable developers on stage to discuss their thoughts on the upcoming Project Natal. Keiji Inafune from Capcom, Toshihiro Nagoshi from SEGA, and Hideo Kojima from Konami spoke for roughly an hour on their initial impressions and thoughts for the future in regards to Natal, Microsoft's controller-free gaming solution.

The discussion was prefaced with the caveat that nobody should take any of what was said as an announcement of works in progress, so don't get your hopes up too much just yet. IGN will have the full video with translation up for you to watch as soon as possible, but here are a few choice quotes to hold you over.

Inafune, known as the father of Mega Man and producer of Dead Rising and Lost Planet, told the crowd that Natal "surpassed my expectation" before continuing to say that he was "very impressed." Inafune mentioned that the fact that Natal builds on current technology is important for getting developers on board quickly and believes that "technology-wise, it surpasses anything that exists right now."

Hideo Kojima, known for creating the Metal Gear Solid franchise, had even higher praise. "[It's] like the 2D to 3D shift...that was the degree of shock I felt." He even believes the technology could expand beyond games and that "it has the potential to change lifestyle dramatically."

Kojima recognized the ability for Natal to bring in new gamers, but is wary of alienating his core fans. "Casual gaming is going to be quite important," he said. "But core games are also going to improve." Still, he said that "there will be users who will not be able to get used to [Natal]" because they are so used to using controllers right now.

SEGA's Nagoshi has worked on motion controls in the past as he is the mind behind the Monkey Ball franchise. He sees Natal as creating "another new horizon" for gaming. He even went so far as to postulate that Natal could "change the way we Japanese people express ourselves."

All of the creators repeatedly talked about the idea of emotions being expressed in games better with Natal than with a standard controller.

Both Kojima and Inafune discussed possibilities for Natal-like technology to be used outside of games, tossing around ideas that ranged from a camera recognizing somebody that is in need of medical help to being used in life saving operations.

Check back with IGN soon for the full video to watch these three giants weigh in on motion controllers.